Although a lot more signs announcing places set to open have gone up at the KRATE Container Park, the only additional restaurants to open by our press time are The Fry Room, El Prince Mediterranean Cuisine & Palani’s Hawai’i Noodles. Other new eatery signs that have gone up since November include SubZero Nitrogen Ice Cream, Chamo Bites Venezuelan Cuisine, Bakery X Authentically French, Flipn’ Fries Factory, Rhythm Pon Jamaican Cuisine, Bebo’s Cheesesteaks, Sugar Pop! and Café Zorba.
The KRATE Container Park, the long-awaited jewel of developer Mark Gold’s redevelopment of The Grove at Wesley Chapel, is really taking shape these days. On these pages is an update on all of the new signs that have gone up at KRATE since we told you about Provisions Coffee & Kitchen and the then-new Shake-A-Salad back in November.
We also showed you pictures of and/or mentioned all of the dining- and/or drinking-oriented establishments that had their signs up at that time — Café 365, La Creacion Express Puerto Rican Bakery, The Bacon Boss, Mojo Grill Latin Fusion, TJ’s Famous Hot Dogs, Tacos el Patron, Åto Sushi Burritos & Poke Bowls, Palani’s Hawai’i Noodles, Tasty Ramen, The Fry Room, Urban Sweets, Yummy Tablas, El Prince Mediterranean, Blush Wine Bar, Boba Macs Tea & Eat and The Fry Room.
We also mentioned the other places with signs up that weren’t about food or drink — Center Ed Education, Reset Natural Remedies, We Rock Rocks, SmartStart Market Space, Budget Blinds, The Rebellious Hippie and All Good Things Gifts.
As we went to press with this issue, the only additional KRATEs that had opened since November were The Fry Room (we’ve sampled not only owners Donny & Lori’s delicious apple cider donuts, but also their crispy chicken tacos and French fries — all excellent), All Good Things and El Prince, as everything from Covid to supply chain issues have not only delayed the construction, the complete shutdown of the few parking spaces around the open KRATEs have had many people thinking that none of them were open.
Here are all of the additional eateries coming soon that we found: SubZero Nitrogen Ice Cream, Chamo Bites Venezuelan Cuisine, Bakery X Authentically French, Flipn’ Fries Factory, Rhythm Pon Jamaican Cuisine, Bebo’s Cheesesteaks, Sugar Pop!, Brew Bar, Pisco Express Peruvian Chinese Fusion Food and Cafe Zorba.
We’ve also included some of the signs for new stores and boutiques we hadn’t mentioned before, such as The Toy Jungle, MaeBerry Co., 2 Extreme Tattoos, Grove Cigars, Katie Beth’s Boutique, Tonella’s Handpicked Flower Shop, Valiart Jewelry, Pup Protectors and the second Wesley Chapel location of Gadgets Emergency Room. Are you excited yet? — GN
Super Hot Asian & BBQ Is Open In Former Fushia Location!
For those who have been waiting for something to open where Fushia Asian Bistro closed in the Shoppes at Amberly plaza in Tampa Palms, your wait is over.
The new restaurant is called Super Hot Asian & BBQ, and it also is Chinese/Asian fusion. We’ve only gotten to try a few menu items so far, but we definitely enjoyed the pan-fried gyoza dumplings (served by an actual robot server), as well as the Yangzhou (aka “Young Chow”) combo fried rice.
For more info about Super Hot (15317 Amberly Dr.), call (813) 680-4124 or visit https://superhot.kwickmenu.com/index.php. — GN
Kobé Re-Opening Delayed By Supply Chain Issues!
For those who have been waiting patiently for Kobé Japanese Steakhouse to re-open in its new location a mile or so south on BBD (in the former location of Vuelo and Señor T’s Mexican restaurants, and Romano’s Macaroni Grill before that), well, we’re sorry, but you’ll have to wait just a little bit longer.
According to Kobé spokesperson Hien Nguyen, the original hoped-for opening of as early as Dec. 2021 has had to be extended by several months.
“Unfortunately, construction is slower than expected, as supply chain delays for large equipment are stalling our progression.” says Nguyen. “We can’t move forward until some of these items are delivered. Unfortunately, we do not have an exact date, but hopefully in a few months if some of these items can be delivered soon.”
If you’ve driven by the site of the future Kobé, you’ve probably noticed that a tremendous amount of exterior work has been done, but that it definitely has stalled in recent weeks.
We know our readers are excited about the re-opening of Kobé, so be sure to keep checking these pages for further updates.
Unfortunately, we also haven’t received, seen or heard any updates about when Hungry Crab Juicy Seafood & Bar is expected to open in the former Kobé location in front of the Pebble Creek Collection, also on BBD.
In fact, unlike Kobé, which has had the monument sign in the picture up for several weeks, we haven’t even seen a banner sign yet for Hungry Crab, which has six other locations already open, the closest of which is in Largo and the furthest of which is in Brunswick, GA. The New Tampa Hungry Crab is one of three additional locations opening soon. — GN
Las Palmas Food Truck — Same Great Food, All-New Look!
When last we checked in with our friend Ramses Garcia, the owner of Las Palmas Latin Grill (which was shuttered by a fire in its storefront location on Oct. 11), he had just recently opened the Las Palmas Food Truck, which was just a plain white truck Ramses had renovated so he could continue serving his authentic Cuban cuisine in the same parking lot while rebuilding his popular eatery.
Well, since then, Ramses has added a custom exterior wrap to the truck, complete with a caricature of Al Pacino’s character and his famous line from “Scarface” — “Say Hello To My Little Friend.”
Yes, the revamped truck looks great, but it’s still the food Ramses and his wife Ana serve inside that’s the most important thing. Whether you crave award-winning Cubans, amazing roasted pork, grilled chicken breast, deviled crab or Ana’s Tres Leches dessert, visit LasPalmasLatinGrill.com to order your favorites today — and please tell Ana and Ramses I sent you! — GN
Chicken, Chicken & More Chicken? The Wesley Chapel area isn’t exactly lacking for chicken-oriented restaurants, considering the recent openings of Chick’n Fun, Zaxby’s and King of the Coop, as well as the now-under-construction Chicken Salad Chick. And, don’t forget chicken places that have been established in Wesley Chapel for years, such as PDQ, Popeye’s and Wing Stop.
But, it appears that we’ll still have to make room for another.
According to Pasco County permitting records, Slim Chickens met with county planners on Feb. 8 at a pre-application meeting, which generally allows prospective applicants to meet and discuss the specifics of their proposals.
A “quick look plan” presented to the county shows the 2,400-sq.-ft. restaurant (with 42 parking spaces) would be located on the southeast corner of Old Pasco Rd. and Wesley Chapel Blvd., west of Advance Auto Parts, and less than a 1/2-mile from Chick’n Fun.
The plans also include a 1,406-sq.-ft. auto service center, which would be in between the Slim Chickens and Advance Auto Parts.
Slim Chickens is a fast-casual chain that specializes in chicken tenders, wings, sandwiches, salads, wraps and chicken & waffles, as well as other items. It is headquartered in Fayetteville, AR, and has more than 100 locations in more than 30 states. The only location near Wesley Chapel is on N. Boundary Blvd. near Macdill Air Force Base in South Tampa, and there are three other locations in the Florida panhandle. For more information, visit SlimChickens.com. — JCC
Woodie’s Wash Shack Hosts A Spectacular Grand Opening! If you missed the Grand Opening and official Ribbon Cutting ceremony for the new Woodie’s Wash Shack-Cypress Creek (located at 24749 S.R. 54 in Lutz, about a mile west of the Tampa Premium Outlets) on Feb. 4, you missed one of the best North Tampa Bay Chamber ribbon cuttings we’ve attended in years.
First of all, there was free Tampa Bay Buccaneers gear being given away, appearances by a variety of Pasco County Sheriff’s Office (PCSO) vehicles and K-9 officers (bottom photos), delicious, free food from Bubba’s 33 and Honeybaked Ham and, perhaps best of all, free car washes for every vehicle that came to the party and unlimited top-level monthly wash memberships for just $9.99 per month for the first three months.
But, the even bigger news of the day was that Woodie’s owner Don Phillips (who says he based his growing local chain of four wash shacks on the California surf era of the late 1950s and early 1960s) and local franchisee Harry Jenkins also presented a $10,000 check to Pasco Sheriff Chris Nocco for his K-9 Officer program. Phillips even mentioned that the money will go, in part, to the training of a new K-9 officer, appropriately named Woodie.
And, for those who have seen the sign at The Grove at Wesley Chapel that another Woodie’s location is coming soon, Jenkins says that location will likely open in the next 6-7 months. For more information, stop by or visit WoodiesWash.com. — GN
Carrabba’s Italian Grill Goes Vertical!
Even though we’ve previously reported (multiple times) that Carrabba’s Italian Grill would be opening between Aussie Grill and Bonefish Grill on the north side of S.R. 56, we’ve seen some recent comments on Facebook indicating that some of you still don’t know what is being built in that area.
Well, now that Carrabba’s has gone vertical and posted a sign (photo), there is no need for additional speculation. The Bloomin’ Brands-owned Italian eatery, originally founded in Texas by Johnny Carrabba and Damian Mandola, already has 220+ locations in 29 states, and is expected to open this 69th Florida location (and second with a Lutz zip code) within the next 3-6 months. — GN
Kumquat Pie Is Now Pasco’s ‘Official’ Pie!
Congratulations to the little known and oft-overlooked Kumquat Pie, which was recently declared the official pie of Pasco County. The Pasco Board of County Commissioners unanimously approved the resolution to honor the pie on Feb. 8, after the Tourist Development Council for Experience Florida’s Sports Coast voted the make the pie the official pie.
“Kumquat pie is an iconic dish in Pasco,” said District 2 commissioner Mike Moore, “and it’s only appropriate it’s now our official pie.”
Key lime and apple have filed protests, but they never had a chance against the mighty kumquat. It may look like a misshaped baby orange, but the grape-sized fruit has found a place in Pasco County’s heart, dating back to the late 1800s. And of course, Pasco is well-known for its annual Dade City Kumquat Festival, which recently celebrated its 25th anniversary. — JCC
When I lived in New York City in the early 1980s, the two most iconic Jewish delicatessens in Manhattan were the Stage Deli, which closed for good in 2012, and the Carnegie Deli, which permanently closed its doors at the end of 2016. The two delis, which also were bitter rivals, were located about a block from each other on 7th Ave., near Carnegie Hall, and both were known for their huge, overstuffed sandwiches, weighing in at a pound of meat each.
I thought both famous eateries were gone forever; that is, until Wesley Chapel Brooklyn Water Bagel Co. franchise owner Daniel Kurland told me that all 16 or so of the locations in the Florida-based chain were replacing their existing deli lunch sandwich meats with authentic corned beef and pastrami (and a few other items shown on this page) from the wholesale distributor that has stayed in business since the Carnegie Deli closed.
“Brooklyn Water Bagels even tried to get an exclusive,” Kurland says. “Our corporate entity wanted our stores to be the only places you could get these authentic Carnegie Deli items, including corned beef, pastrami, potato knishes, cheesecake, sour Kosher pickles and even mustard.”
But, Kurland added, “We were told that there were delis and restaurants all over the country, many in the Miami-Ft. Lauderdale area, where the first Brooklyn Water Bagel Co. locations opened, which already were buying these items from the Carnegie Deli wholesale distributor. They had to be grandfathered into our agreement with Carnegie.”
So, while it’s not the only place in the U.S. where you can sample these items that I loved so much when I lived in Manhattan, Brooklyn Water Bagel Co. is one of very few places on the west coast of Florida, and is certainly the only place in Wesley Chapel, where you can buy them.
And, because the Carnegie Deli was famous for its 1-lb. sandwiches, Brooklyn Water Bagel Co. today offers the (pictured above) Manhattan Combo sandwich — with 1-lb. total of Carnegie Deli corned beef and pastrami, on authentic Jewish-style rye bread (or your choice of bagel) with Carnegie mustard (which also is available for purchase in a squeeze bottle), or the also-popular 1000 Island dressing. No, there’s no steamer “drawers” keeping the moisture (and heat) in the meats before they are piled into your sandwich, but otherwise, they are very much the same tasty (albeit fairly fatty, yum!) deli meats I remember from New York City.
There’s also The Manhattan sandwich, which offers 1-lb. of your choice of corned beef or pastrami, as well as the Half-Pounder Deli sandwich, which has just 1/2-lb. of your choice of corned beef or pastrami, for you lightweights. There’s even The Reuben, which features corned beef or pastrami with sauerkraut, melted Swiss cheese, with mustard or 1000 Island dressing on toasted rye.
And, considering that a Jewish deli sandwich would never be complete without a Kosher sour pickle, Brooklyn Water Bagel’s Carnegie Deli sandwiches are all served with a matching Carnegie pickle.
But Wait, There’s More!
Knish.
Growing up, I was never the biggest fan of potato knishes — which, at most delis, are either square or round single-serving “pies” with a dough crust, stuffed with uniquely seasoned mashed potatoes — but for those of you who crave them, Brooklyn Water Bagel Co. also offers Carnegie Deli’s round (only) knishes, that are very much like the ones we got at our local deli in Woodmere, Long Island. The knishes are especially delish with the Carnegie mustard, too.
And, you can even finish off your meal with a nice-sized slab of Carnegie Deli cheesecake, which is a creamy, yet dense dessert which is offered with a cherry sauce either poured over it or on the side.
And, don’t forget that Brooklyn Water Bagel Co. also has a delicious roast turkey, bacon and avocado wrap, tuna, egg, chicken and even whitefish salad sandwiches (all of the creamy salad options are available for to-go sale in tubs) and, oh yeah, a huge variety (at least dozen or more different kinds, from standard plain, sesame and everything to more exotic types, like Black Russian with seeds) kettle-boiled-then-baked fresh bagels and pick-your-own fillings omelettes that are available for breakfast or lunch anytime you visit. The smoked Nova Scotia salmon is authentic, too, and also is available for sale in packages, as are a variety of different types of cream cheese.
And, just in case you’re not a cheesecake fan, Brooklyn Water Bagel Co. has a great variety of other outstanding desserts, most of which (not including the authentic Jewish rugelach pastries) are made in-store, using the franchise’s “Brooklynized” water.
The black & white cookies are the best in the area, the chewy chocolate chip cookies have huge chocolate chunks and the house-baked muffins include blueberry, chocolate chip, apple cinnamon and banana nut.
And, if you love delicious coffee, Brooklyn Water Bagel Co. has the best hot and cold coffee in town, at least in my opinion. Its Brooklyn Water Coffee Roasters is its in-house micro-roaster, roasting its coffee in small batches (never larger than 90 lbs. at a time), and purchases only beans that are rated 80 points or higher by the Specialty Coffee Association of America (or in the top 3% of coffee in the world). My favorite available-all-year-‘round variety is the Brooklyn Infusion, with Kahlua, caramel and sweet vanilla flavors, but the seasonal Winter Wonderland blend, with white chocolate, caramel and hints of coconut also is amazing, although Kurland says it will be gone by the spring.
Brooklyn Water Bagel Co. (27835 Wesley Chapel Blvd., Suite 101) is open every day, 6 a.m.-3 p.m. For more information, visit BrooklynWaterBagel.com, call (813) 775-2275 or see the ad on pg. 34 of our latest Wesley Chapel issue to receive a free bagel just for stopping by.
Brunchery New Tampa is getting ready to open a second location in Wesley Chapel!
The New Tampa Brunchery was opened at 17507 Preserve Walk Lane (off Bruce B. Downs Blvd) by Alket (Al) Marku and Stanley Athan in 2019.
In January 2021, Marku took over as the only owner of the New Tampa Brunchery, and has been tremendously successful. He believes he will bring the same success to the Brunchery Wesley Chapel, located at 27607 S.R. 56, in the former location of Wolf’s Den.
Brunchery is known for its delicious breakfast and lunch menu that offers a variety of options, such as Stuffed French Toast, Omelettes & Benedicts, homemade Muffins, Creamy Chicken Salad on a Grilled Raisin Bread, and many other delicious items. It also is well-known for its outstanding service.
Marku, who took us on a hard hat tour of the former Wolf’s Den location that he is completely revamping, says he hopes to be open no later than Mar 14, possibly sooner. Stay tuned for an update next week.
We are definitely looking forward to the opening of the Wesley Chapel Brunchery.
For more information visit lovebrunchery.com or call the New Tampa location at (813) 533-7271. — GN
